[SIGCIS-Members] Debunking the myth of individual genius

[Misti]

Hello!
I am very interested in this thread. I am curious what
scholars/theorists/readings people are using to help make sense of
cult-formation, myth-making, etc. I know a few that I find helpful and have
taught include:

   - Kenneth Burke's dramatism
   - MacIntyre, Alasdair. *After Virtue*. (In particular his insights on
   the role of characters.)
   - Bormann, Ernest G. "Fantasy and rhetorical vision: The rhetorical
   criticism of social reality." *Quarterly journal of speech* 58, no. 4
   (1972): 396-407.
   - Fisher, Walter R. "Narration as a human communication paradigm: The
   case of public moral argument." Communications Monographs 51, no. 1 (1984):
   1-22.
   - Ernst Cassirer, *Language and Myth*.


Misti Yang
Doctoral Candidate and Instructor
*Pronouns: she, her, hers*
www.mistiyang.com
Department of Communication | The University of Maryland
0107 Skinner Building, 4300 Chapel Lane
College Park, MD 20742


On Sat, Oct 24, 2020 at 3:15 AM Sharon Traweek <traweek at history.ucla.edu>
wrote:

> Hi
> Thank you very much for the link to an article by *Joshua Roebke [MS,
> Theoretical High Energy Physics, *McGill University, Montréal], Institute
> for Historical Studies, Univ of Texas, Austin
>
> https://www.joshuaroebke.com/    https://www.joshuaroebke.com/articles/
>  https://ugs.utexas.edu/tsi/faculty-profiles
>
> *“Opinion: **Scoundrels, Saints, and the Fiction of Individual Genius*. In
> the shadows of every celebrated scientist, there are other contributors who
> may be more deserving of our adulation.” *Undark,* 20 Oct 2020 *https://undark.org/2020/10/22/the-fiction-of-individual-genius/
> <https://undark.org/2020/10/22/the-fiction-of-individual-genius/>*
>
> I also recommend this Roebke article on race and gender in high energy
> physics*:* “The Standard Model,” *Joyland*, Issue 10, Oct 2020
> https://joylandmagazine.com/uncategorized/standard-model/?fbclid=IwAR1VALqswPivKt5e-7YyVRXePl-euslbFow3CIYlSxZd5r5Xcs1B0IvEuf8
>
>
> Sharon Traweek, Ucla
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Members <members-bounces at lists.sigcis.org> on behalf of Barbara B
> Walker <bbwalker at unr.edu>
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 22, 2020 8:41 AM
> *To:* members at lists.sigcis.org <members at lists.sigcis.org>
> *Subject:* [SIGCIS-Members] Debunking the myth of individual genius
>
>
> Hi, everybody,
>
>
>
> Hope everyone is safe and well.
>
>
>
> Here is an article on the importance of looking beyond the mythologies and
> cults of genius in the history of science and tech.
>
>
>
> https://undark.org/2020/10/22/the-fiction-of-individual-genius/
> <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fundark.org%2f2020%2f10%2f22%2fthe-fiction-of-individual-genius%2f&c=E,1,zSJ4vpB4KaeiSCfDXUtpGaDeuowkE6aW4gmiCvCUYOWdr0NSn0T9QMaeE5BWGQuxbb8a5nA1upjF8wWloVC9E9hulaD6G7pfuau27-4OCg,,&typo=1>
>
>
>
> However, I would argue that in computer history as everywhere else in the
> history of science and tech, debunking is not enough – we must understand
> the reasons, cultures and process of cult-formation and myth-making that
> plays such an influential role in our understanding of the past. That’s
> something I’m exploring in an article on John von Neumann that I recently
> submitted for publication review (“Creation Myths”). Am also looking at the
> formation of political personality cults in a seminar I am teaching this
> semester.
>
>
>
> Barbara Walker
>
>
>
>
>
> Barbara Walker
>
> Associate Professor
>
> Department of History/308
>
> University of Nevada, Reno
>
> Reno NV 89557
>
>
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